Lionel Messi made a mistake leading to the second goal, causing Argentina to lose 0-2 against Uruguay in the South American region’s fifth round of World Cup 2026 qualifiers.
Scorers: Araujo 41′, Nunez 87′.
Argentina entered the match against Uruguay with 14 consecutive victories, scoring 34 goals. Lionel Scaloni’s team kept a clean sheet in eight consecutive matches since defeating France in the 2022 World Cup final. However, these impressive statistics ended after a 0-2 defeat in Buenos Aires on the evening of November 16.
Uruguay arrived as confident guests at La Bombonera, having recently defeated Brazil 2-0 to climb to second place in the standings. The away team had the first opportunity in the 10th minute when Darwin Nunez accelerated to receive a long pass from his teammate, but his shot narrowly missed the target.
Messi had played only one match in the past month on the Argentine side and had not regained his best form. However, Uruguay was cautious, assigning one to two players to mark him closely. This did not prevent the Inter Miami superstar from shooting on target in the 13th minute, but Messi’s long-range shot did not trouble goalkeeper Sergio Rochet.
Following this play, the intensity of the match increased with a series of rough tackles from both teams. Even Messi couldn’t keep his calm, as he rushed to grab the neck of defender Mathias Olivera after player number 16 collided with Rodrigo De Paul in the 20th minute.
Towards the end of the first half, Messi had a golden opportunity when he was fouled at the edge of the penalty area. The 36-year-old player took the free-kick, but the ball hit the wall. Shortly after, Argentina conceded the first goal in the qualifiers. Wingback Matias Vina stole the ball from Nahuel Molina’s feet, then delivered a cross for Ronald Araujo to slot home.
Messi had another free-kick opportunity just before the end of the first half. This time, he forced Rochet to make a save. In the second half, Uruguay played defensively, making it almost impossible for Argentina to create danger from open play.
Argentina’s notable moments all came from set pieces initiated by Messi. Messi shot cleverly in the 57th minute from a free-kick on the right-wing, causing the Uruguay goalkeeper to stand rooted, but the ball hit the crossbar.
After that, the home team created a few more chances thanks to the dynamism of Angel Di Maria, who will retire from the national team after Copa America 2024. However, the efforts of the two left-footed veterans were not enough to break down the visitors’ defense.
With a stalled attack and a vulnerable defense, Argentina conceded another goal in the 87th minute. From Messi’s loss of possession, Uruguay launched a swift counter-attack. The ball was passed to Nunez, and the Liverpool forward did not make a mistake in the one-on-one with goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, sealing the victory for Uruguay.
The 0-2 defeat ended Argentina’s perfect record in the South American World Cup 2026 qualifiers. In four days, they face another tough challenge as they travel to Brazil, who recently suffered a 1-2 defeat against Colombia with a brace from Luis Diaz. With their first victory over Argentina in 10 years, Uruguay sits second in the group with 10 points, trailing Argentina by two points. Colombia, Venezuela, and Brazil follow in the subsequent positions.
